According to sheriff's officials, the Junction fire has led school officials to cancel classes across the Yosemite Unified School District, authorities to shut down access to the California 41 freeway heading into Yosemite, and firefighters to head to homes in the fire's path.

The fire is the second to have ignited near the park this summer, the Associated Press reported, and follows last year's destructive Rim fire, which carried on for two months across 400 square miles.

California's drought emergency has led to multiple wildfires, with the ones still blazing tracked on the state's incident site. Monday afternoon saw a fire burn across Kern county, while a fire in the Angeles National Forest was contained by 60 percent Monday after burning 274 acres, the U.S. Forest Service reported.

Fire officials told the AP cooler temperatures and calmer winds in the region could help contain the Junction fire.

News reports are focusing on the Germanwings pilot's possible depression, following a familiar script in the wake of mass killings. But the evidence shows violence is extremely rare among the mentally ill.